Daughter of Ice
by sixfootbeetle
Summary: The story of Hades and Persephone is very well known but no one stops to think that they never created a God of Winter snow or storms or ice so this is kind of like a sequal to it except as the new God and Godess are growing something goes a bit wrong.R
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1

AN. THnks sooooo much 2 the people who've reved my other stry, the dance of life and death and Lady of Sea your name has bin carved in gold twice 2 make up 4 not doin it the first time! The original idea 4 this story came from 1madcat and I'm kinda using her as my buffer though she can't spell she's stopping me frm bablin on abut flies and sunsets, not tht I cn talk abut bad spellin cos mines prity terrible 2. It _is _a conbind e4t but I'm typn it so its mine! An I did the poems all my self 2 so it's mine! It's all mine! MWHAHAHAAHAAA! Plez plez _plez _read it!

GRR!LINES WON'T SHOW UP SO AM PUTTING IN RANDOM THINGS!

_Hades and Persephone,_

_In Hades realm 'neath land and sea._

_The world's foundations they did shake,_

_And the seasons they did make._

_Beauteous summer to bitter cold,_

_New winter with it's vice like hold_

_Meaning two Gods are needed to be made,_

_One of storms and skin is flayed,_

_He will be of storms, and cold burning breath._

_One of ice with patterns of death,_

_Soul of ice, heart of stone,_

_Always together but forever alone,_

_As summer comes life's web is sown._

_But is it enough to thaw the two?_

_To see the winter through?_

_Book of Prophesy._

_Heart of ice,_

_Cutteth thrice: _س≈

_Over life's view,_

_A seventh king slew,_

_Ringing the two,_

_With golden rune_

'_neath half wounded moon,_

س≈

_Day and Night in strife_

_Behold the web of life._

_Book of _س≈

(PS س≈ is translatable but I'm not tell u whut it means, u'll find ut eventually.)

_This is a line! Trust me!_

Hera was so angry. Zeus had no idea of the pain he put her through! She raged. Around her storm clouds were brewing, black and rugged in the crackling bolts of fury that coursed over her. She strode out over the sea, hair flying in the spray from the titanic waves being thrown up around her. She screamed out at the black sky. Zeus did not know of the pain he caused her. She was going to change that, she was going to hurt him as he hurt her. And **He** was waiting for her. Not Zeus, someone else. A little of the terrifying anger left her darkened features and the moon showed through a tiny gap in the thunder clouds. Grey eyes flashed. She went willingly to his arms.

Zeus was going to pay.

_This is another line!_

_Two months later._

A battle was brewing like the bubbling storms that had been born of Hera's wrath. Hera had just told Zeus the 'good' news of what would be happening in seven months time. Smugly Hera folded her arms over her swelling belly. Zeus glared at the lump.

"My wife, **_MY WIFE!"_** Zeus bellowed in a fury of his own. Hera sidled around to him and with a smile devoid of all warmth and hissed in his left ear.

"Do you see, dear husband?" Zeus had frozen as her icy tones sent chills down his spine and she ran a cold finger down his back. "Do you feel the anger I feel?" Her nails dung into his flesh. "The pain of watching another's child coming into the world and knowing that once again you scorned my bed for another's? Not even a bed in most cases! Do you see how I feel dear _husband_?" She spat. "So many times I've watched as another of you bastards grow and adds to my pain with its innocent smiles and laughter. Well now it's your turn, _husband_. See how you like it."

Hera turn on her heel and strode off. Wincing, Zeus wiped the blood from the nail marks on her back.

…_..and another line!_

_Seven months later._

Zeus glared down at the lump. It was now in the form of a tiny child that seemed to be enjoying melting snow in his hands and lobbing the slushy mixture at everyone in general. Zeus had hit the ones aimed at him with small shards of spare lightning, the idiot boy just gurgled and a small rain cloud was now chasing Zeus around, black as his mood.

Hera was sitting by the creatures cradle. She bent over the new born baby with a smile colder than the snow around them. The child's smiles melted away into a serious, slightly scared expression. Its gurgles faded too as Hera's icy gaze ripped through it. Zeus was actually starting to pity the poor child.

_LINE!_

Far away in her dwelling one of the Fates stirred in her sleep, the snores cut off and she sat up with a grating chuckle.

"_Conceived and born 'neath storms,_

_A child with the innocence of fawns,_

_That dance and play at dusks and dawns,_

_Born and raised with anger,_

_We have a God of winter storms."_

The fate of the present, the here and now, opened her hand and released a strange, fluttering thing of a stormy grey blue.

'_Find him when the time is right,_

_Then bring his gift into the light.'_

She whispered over it and it flitted away. Then with that she fell back down with a snort and continued her snores. The eye sitting on the rock between the sleeping three swivelled to stare in a new direction.

Another old hag sat up from her slumbers and said in hushed tones,

"_Conceived tomorrow a daughter of ice,_

_She will not be raised in sugar and spice."_

She too then opened a gnarled hand and released a strange thing, but this time it was spiky and glassy white-blue.

'_Find her when the time is right,_

_Then bring her gift into the light.'_

It then left to for fill its purpose. With that the fate of the future too flopped back down to re-enter her world of vile dreams.

_LINE!_

_Two months later._

Aphrodite stormed into her private chambers. She knew she should not have slept with any of them. Now she was two months pregnant. How could she have been so unvigilant as to allow this to happen? She did not even know who the father was. He could be any of the six different men she had slept with in a succession of days. She could not get rid of it either, some of the possible parents were powerful gods and if they found out she had had their spawn exterminated from her system there would be hell to pay. She had no chose but to go through with the pregnancy. Her green eyes flashed in annoyance. She could not be seen with a baby!

_LINE!_

_Seven months later._

Anbel and her husband Jioh were walking out around the fields in the summer air. Their crops were doing well and after a hard days work the youngish couple were taking a well earned break after putting their three small sons to bed. Gie was the eldest terror at the terrible twos and Ecar and Tabat were one year old twins, and quite a handful. Anbel and John walked together enjoying the peace so uncommon in their rowdy household.

Jioh started. He thought he had heard something. Like the sound icicles make in a faint breeze. Anbel shivered and looked down around her feet. That was funny. There was what looked remarkably like ice on the muddy track. The air tasted of falling snow. The two jumped. There was a cloaked figure on the path in front. It made not a sound. The hood dropped back and golden hair drifted in the suddenly cold air framing a heart shaped face with emerald green eyes. The all too perfect red lips curved in a smile.

"You'll do." Said Aphrodite and with that passed them a small bundle and suddenly had never been there. Anbel looked down at the bundle in her arms. A tiny face stared up at her accusingly. One eye was an odd green, like a frost covered crystal while the other was a strange blue- green-grey that Anbel could have sworn was shifting between the three. The girl's hair was the same gold as the strangers yet colder. Anbel touched the child's cheek and drew it back sharply from the icy flesh. Was it really flesh, Anbel wondered. It felt like ice. The child's all too perfect arched eyebrows curved down in a scowl.

_LINE!_

Deep in the darkest, dank, inner circles of hell, of Tartarus, the titan stirred. Its monstrous body contorted with pain and unjust rage. The chains that bound it burned deep into its twisted flesh. Muscles bunching beneath the flaming bonds the beings head lifted. It watched as one of its minions scuttled into its presence its three toed feet clicking against the stone path through the fiery furnace its edges melting away into the rifts over which the being was strung. Nothing lived down there but hells demons themselves waiting their turn to torture a favourite victim.

"_Master," _The creature croaked in its horrible rasping voice. _'We have that which you commanded of us.' _It extended a scaled, withered thing of an arm and uncurled the three hooked claws to show two strange fluttering things, one storm blue-grey, and the other ice blue. The tiny wispy things were battering themselves against the creatures' claws in a desperate bid for freedom.

_LINE!_

Hades was puzzled. He frowned down at what he had found. Slipping the chunk of ice into the pockets of his black garb he saddled his horse, Mandarb. Mandarb was a ghost horse, his coat black and shimmering he looked almost nonexistent, wispy, but he was remarkably strong. Prancing excitedly Mandard took off at a high spirited canter through Hades' cavern walls.

Hades clutched his stomach. He had never been one for heights and lived most of his life in his realm under the ground. Happily Mandarb pranced over the clouds making a gentle assent thousands of feet off the ground towards Mount Olympus. Hades groaned faintly as Mandarb swooped up to nibble the tail feathers of an extremely surprised hawk.

A little while later a rather green Hades landed gracefully beside his brother Zeus, well Mandarb landed gracefully while Hades managed a strange sort of sideways flop. Zeus grabbed him as he stumbled.

"You must be pretty desperate to fly up here Hades!" Boomed Zeus.

"Yeah well." Hades shrugged his right shoulder as the left was being weighed down by one of Zeus's enormous arms. "Look Zeus, something's going on that's not right." Zeus looked puzzled. "I've been getting a remarkable amount of people down my way saying they were killed by winter storms. I don't normally get nearly that many! And check this out." Hades reached into his robes and brought out the hunk of ice. In it there was a print. There was a long thin mark, much too thin to be a human foot and too long. At one end of it there were three vicious claw marks. Zeus whistled.

"Haven't seen one of them around in a _long_ time."

"No, me neither and if one of them is loose there's bound to be more. It's not looking good." Hades glanced up at Zeus.

"What if one of these has got control of the storms and ice? Intercepted the Daei?" They stared at each other in horror. "Not good."

_GETTING DOO PSSED OFF WITH THIS WHOLE LINE THING!_

_Five years later._

The child sat down by the pool in the wooded area of untamed wilderness at the mountains feet. It was a special place to her, it was calm and serene the water trickling with a faint tinkle through her small private clearing, it befitted her present mood.

She had just had another visit from her mysterious mothers' subjects. This time it had been a water nymph. The child's name was Taenaia. Her mother was insisting in her profound education even though she would much prefer to be helping Anbel and Jioh with more interesting work. She hardly ever saw her real mother. The deep wound suppressed long ago throbbed at the back of her mind as she thought of her mother. Aphrodite's neglect was not intended but she did not want anyone to know of the five year old child's existence. She had not even told her own daughter who she was. All Taenaia knew was that Annbel and Jioh were not her real parents nor were the children Gie, Ecar and Tabat her real brothers.

Taenaia sighed. She wished she knew her mother better. She knew Aphrodite did not mean to neglect her but her mother was ever a cold and distant figure, vague and meaningless except for the dull ach of emptiness in her heart where a mother should fit.

Anbel tried to be a mother to her, she really did. But Taenaia was cold and unresponsive. When hugged she struggled to be free and no one entered her room, it was a cold and icy cavern of her own making which she was Queen of and often icicles could be see around her ever shut door.

Taenaia looked up sharply as she heard blundering footsteps and a stifled giggle. Then there was a loud shushing and the noise stopped. Taenaia stood and stepped towards the sound. Suddenly a crude rope trip line sprang up in front of her and she was catapulted into the pool. Her 'brothers' burst out of the foliage at the same time, laughing.

The brothers stared. Taenaia was lying on the pool, right in the middle hair splayed around her. The water had frozen under her. Taenaia lay quite still in the middle of her patch of ice. The brothers held their breath. Then the golden hair lifted and her two mismatched eyes stared levelly back at them. They froze where they stood. Slowly Taenaia got to her feet and with unerring poise walked slowly towards them, the icy patterns on the water spreading out from where her feet touched it. She stopped in front of them, her head only level with their chins but still an imposing figure that made the boys quiver despite her young age.

"Go away." She said quietly with deliberate slowness. "You are not welcome here." Suddenly an icy blast of snow hit them and they raced off through the woods. With a great sigh the young girl lay down by the pool and slept. Quietly another figure detached itself from the shadows and crept over to where she lay in sleep. It ran a gentle hand around her perfect heart shaped face so like her mothers. It passed for a moment, looking at her then left as quiet as it had arrived.

_LINE **AGAIN**!_

AN. Is it ok ? An u say Taenaia Tay-en-ay-ah, cos my sis was givn we grief abut the names bein too long, particularly that one. Plez plez _plez _R+R an tll me wht u think, it's not gonna be a v long stry an I know zis first chptr is a bit bitty but plez R+R an bare wif me!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

AN. PRAISES BE TO MY REVIEWERS! Conrad and Elwing Evenstar, (have I spelt that right? Probably not) Thanks sooooo much!

_A STUPID LINE! IF U READ MY NEW VERSION OF CHAPTER 1 U WILL FIND THAT I PUT IN LINES BUT THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP SO I'M DOING THIS!_

Taenaia stood out amongst the festivities of the summer solstice. Fifteen years old she was the mirror image of her blood mother, Aphrodite, except for her eyes which were the same mismatched pair of green and green-blue-grey. Wearing a long thin dress of silver grey she sat alone at the outdoor feast table. Everyone else was dancing to the lively beat of the orchestra the village had hired. No one dared ask Taenaia the witch to dance, despite the number of boys who wished they were brave enough, and she sat alone as the sun set. No one went near the witch child.

Despite the heat of the summer evening Taenaia's skin was as cold and pale as ice and her golden hair flecked with delicate ice crystals. Without a sound Taenaia stood and wondered of into the forest. Several pairs of eyes did too. She did not care. She was the witches get with the heart of ice, she was the village ice queen. She was above the common village churls that tried to make fun of her origins. She wondered deeper into the trees. They came up with all sorts of ludicrous ideas of who her parents really were, if only they knew, Taenaia thought, If only she really knew. She sighed. But she was above them that was for sure.

She spun around as the village churls she had just been thinking about came crashing after her, lead by two of her half brothers now 16 summers old. They were looking angry. That was bad.

"There she is!" Cried Tabat, one of the twins.

"Get the witch child!" Shouted the other twin, Ecar.

They ran after her. Where was Gie? She wondered, he was normally in the lead, the cause of the problem. She should have been able to out run them, she was stronger, lighter on her feet, and they were drunker than bent door nails, but they had backed her up against the stream. No problem. She thought, and stepped out onto the water. Again, as it had before when she was young, veins of ice spread from the touch and she began to walk away from them. Taenaia stepped off the water onto land again and gasped.

They were cleverer than she had thought. Some of the others had come around the other way and hidden on the other side of the water. They grabbed her as soon as she touched the land, coarse fingers gripping her hard, some in places they had no right to be. Gie, the eldest brother pushed through the others.

"So witch." He spat. "You give your self away with your own actions!"

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. She never flinched and her face stayed as cold and serene as ever.

"You think yourself so much better than us don't you!" He said kicking her, angered by her unperturbed face. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Suddenly everyone fell around kicking and fighting, their soul aim to hurt the witch. Taenaia did nothing. It angered them most of all the way she took their abuse as if it was nothing.

Gie hit her in the chest. Taenaia flinched slightly, her body had let her down. Seeing this Gie hit her again in the same place then he grabbed her, pulling her in against his chest. He wound his fingers in her hair and savagely ripped her head back over his shoulder. Taenaia bore it well considering how much pain he was putting her through. Gie threw her over his shoulder constantly trying to find more ways to hurt her. She was pummelled and beaten, her dress torn to shreds but she knew they could not kill her. She did not know why or how she knew that she just did. The pain was exquisitely excruciating but not once did she cry out. She was thrown down on her face coughing blood were ever they had brought her. Feet pounded her back. With a sickening crack something broke. It hurt. They rolled her over and the beating began again. They were drunk and did not realise that if she was human she would be close to death.

Vaguely through the fog of pain and blood Taenaia heard the roar. It was a great, angry, full throated roar though she barely heard it as her eyes swam in and out of focus, her mind on the edge of unconsciousness. All of a sudden the pain stopped and she blacked out.

000 (THIS IS A LINE)

Taenaia opened her eyes. Judging by the sun she had been out all night. She sat up, wincing at the pain of a half healed broken rib. She had broken things before and they had healed in half the time of a normal persons but it still hurt. She was wrapped in a blanket in the forest. She squinted as morning light hit her face. There was someone sitting by her.

"Who are you?" She asked with a voice like falling snow. Sea coloured eyes met her gaze.

"My name is Aquilo." He rumbled.

"I'm Taenaia." She said distractedly. "What happened last night?"

"Last night? Last night I simply sat by you. I think you mean the night before that when those village boys were beating you up."

"I've been out for a day and a half?" She asked incredulously. He nodded. "Then I owe you for helping me." She frowned, she did not like the idea of being in debt to someone. Aquilo shrugged.

"Why did you not fight back?" He asked.

"They're just a bunch of idiots. They don't understand me, and what they don't understand they don't like. All the drink was making them think a lot of themselves. They would not have done that had they been sober. I show distain for their futile attempts to hurt me, it angers them more."

"And they take that anger out on you." He said.

"If I were to fight back they would think I was taking them seriously." She said coldly. "I hurt their pride."

"But they did hurt you. You would have died were you human! It seems stupid to me. It does not make sense."

"Don't call me stupid." She said in dangerously cold stones. She stood. As an ice queen she did not get angry. She knew better ways to get at people than that. He stood too as she spoke. He towered over her! Undaunted she continued. "I am not stupid or weak." She paused. "What did you say about me?"

"I said it was stupid not to fight back when you were in so much pain."

"No, you said I was not human didn't you?" She said quietly. She turned away. "Then it's true. My mother has been keeping secrets from me."

"I should say so! She never told you!" The giant exclaimed. Taenaia turned to him with a cold look.

"My mother tells me only what she pleases."

"Then let me tell you!" Aquilo exclaimed angrily. "You mother is bloody Aphrodite!" She gave him one of the looks she was so good at, it was as if she was looking through his head and ten feet out the other side.

"And my father?" She asked coolly.

"Nobody knows! I'm about the only person who knows she even has a daughter! You really should learn how to protect yourself!"

"I do not need to be told what to do by some oaf with so much muscle there seems to have been no space left for a brain. Brains must have been deemed unnecessary when you were born. Was your father a bull and your mother a bear?" She spoke softly and coldly, not caring about the expressions on his face.

"My father is Zeus and my mother is Hera!" He bellowed angrily.

"Temper, temper." She said admonishingly. "Clearly you are lying there, when was the last time Hera and Zeus were on speaking terms?"

"Hera is my mother! She gave birth to me!"

"But is Zeus your father?" She said, cool next to his anger and hurt pride. Aquilo glared daggers at her, unable to answer truthfully. She gave him a cold smile.

"I do not need to lose my temper and shout and strike out to hurt someone. Everyone has some sense of pride, boys like you most of all, and it is so easy to turn it against them. It is one of mans great failings, isn't it sad that Gods have it too?" Aquilo let out a deep breath, fighting his anger under control.

"At least let me teach you some self defence." Said Aquilo. "There are other ways men can defile you and simply bearing it won't work against that sort of person. You're lucky Gie still thinks of you as his sister, even though a hated sister, otherwise things could have been much worse for you."

"Perhaps." She said thoughtfully. "Alright. You teach me how to fight, I'll teach you manners." Aquilo grimaced. "Can you swim Aquilo?" She asked with a sly smile.

000

_About a year later._

The sun had not even risen though misty pre-dawn light was paling the sky in the East and a few trickles of purple amber and red were veining the horizon. Taenaia danced elegantly through the trees to the tall rock face where a portion of the mountain side had slipped away years ago to leave a vertical climb. The source of her pool was above the cliff and the stream fell, tinkling with musical laughter, down the centre of the white rock. It was quite a big stream and hidden behind its watery fountains where it reached the ground was a small cave. Spring was coming, then soon after it would be summer. A few sleepy birds were out it herald the coming dawn and all remnants of the winter was melting away.

Prancing along a tiny lip of rock Taenaia slipped around the sheet of water and into the mossy cave. It was Aquilo's sixteenth birthday so he would probably be late but Taenaia had come anyway. Since the day they had met and Aquilo had saved her they had met there to begin her defence lessons. She could now fight with fists, feet, dagger, bow, and even a small amount with borrowed axes, swords and spears though she had little practise with these. She was particularly good at unarmed combat and shooting, they required more skill than muscle, and Aquilo had been teaching her ways to defeat men much heavier and stronger than her.

Taenaia had brought with her her own bows and arrows that she had made with Aquilo's tuition. Sometime soon she would spring on him what she planned teaching him. She smiled. There were many things Aquilo did not know and she planned to try to change that. Taenaia set down her things and wondered out, back to trees. She stared up at the cliff face. There was a small ledge part way up, she wondered if she could climb up there. She put her hand up above her head and found a suitable hand hold. She then began to climb.

The wind whipped up Taenaias shirt and pulled its fingers softly through her golden hair. She was actually enjoying it. Soon she took of her jacket and tied it around her waist. Newly wrought muscles from Aquilo's training rippled in her bare arms as she climbed. She decided to do this more often, she enjoyed the dizzying exhilaration of the fresh air at the great height of the cliff. A while later she slipped onto the ledge half way up the tall cliff. There was somebody already there she saw in surprise. No it was just a tree, she thought. A tree all the way up there?

The 'tree' turned to face her. That decided it. It seemed to be female, it had long flowing silver hair, silver bark like skin, green eyes, and a greenish tinge all over. It was dressed in sliver lichen and silver green lips curved in a smile as it took in the goddess.

"_It is a fine morning to be up timeless one." _It breathed. It smile grew as it took in Taenaia's confusion. _"You have never met one of my kind I see."_ It spoke like a soft wind in its leafy silver hair. _"I am a Silviche. The woods are our children. We live as they do, we have no need for food, simply sunlight and water. The light at sunrise is particularly fine. It is a bit like red wine to you, much finer than water." _It turned its beautiful face back towards the colored sky.

"Um," Taenaia began. "Silviche?" Taenaia tried, "You called me a timeless one, what does that mean?"

"_It is your immortal heritage, you are an immortal and thought you are pulled ever onwards through the web of life your strand in the pattern will never be cut by the sisters." _The being smiled again. _"My friends call me Malione, Silviche is just my race. You may call me Malione."_

"My name is Taenaia." She said hesitantly, suddenly feeling nervous. "I don't think I've ever really had a friend before."

"_Taenaia." _Malione extended a willowy hand to her. Taenaia grasped it, the silvery skin feeling strange to her hand. _"Humans cannot understand us. In fact, most mortals refuse to believe we exist. You are a timeless one."_

Malione turned her face back to the sun. Taenaia did to. Though she could not taste the colored rays that streamed over the horizon, Taenaia admired its beauty. When the last of the vibrant lights died and the sun lit the clear blue sky Malione turned back to Taenaia.

"_It will be the spring equinox soon." _Malione said. _"My people always celebrate it. There is music and dancing, feasting and competitions. Many of us have buds, even some have flowers. It is a wonderful occasion. It is not just the Silviche either, we are joined by wood water nymphs and sprites and allsorts. We hardly ever have Gods coming along." _Here Malione glanced almost nervously up at her. _"I was wondering if you might come, as my friend?" _Taenaia looked up.

"Really?" The Silviche nodded.

"_But of course I'm sure you will be doing something else for it…" _

"I'd love to! My village holds a festival but it is no fun for me. I just sit alone, no one talks to me, the witch child." A look of almost pity came over Malione's face.

"_Is that what they call you? Witches child?"_ Malione asked quietly. _"I would have thought you would have been with the other Gods for the equinox."_

"Oh no," Said Taenaia lightly, "They don't even know I exist, except for Aquilo. My mother, Aphrodite, didn't want anyone to know she had a child and I don't know who my father is."

"_You must be very sad. Is that why your soul is full of ice? You are the Goddess of Ice I know but it seems to fill your very heart." _Malione reached out a hand and stroked Taenaia's cheek. _"It hurt you, doesn't it? You will never admit it but you mothers neglect runs deeper than you allow yourself to know." _Taenaia turned away angrily.

"I do not care about my slut of a mother. She has no idea of who my father is. She sends people to teach me things, that is enough. I care nothing for her!" Taenaia was angry. Angry at her mother for the hurt she had caused her, angry at herself for allowing herself to be hurt, and angry at Malione for seeing it.

"_Taenaia, you said that another knew that you were a Goddess. Aquilo you said. Why doesn't he come to?" _Malione paused. _"Think about it? If you want to come on the equinox climb up here as the sun is setting, I will find you there." _

Taenaia did not turn around where she sat. She wanted to come, she really did. But she was hurt by Malione's pity and understanding. Taenaia turned back. Malione was gone. She would talk to Aquilo. It might actually be a good thing considering what she planned on teaching him.

Taenaia then began to climb back down the cliff. She was about half way down when a sudden cold north wind picked up. She did not mind the cold but the sudden blast was disturbing. There was another great blast of wind and Taenaia found herself plucked off the cliff face. She was falling.

000

AN. This any gud? ive not been bril at updating cos computer was doin funny stuff an ive not been v. well but here's chp 2! Plez _plez_ _PLEZ_ **_PLEZ _**R+R!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter3

As Taenaia began to fall something suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt. She blinked, her shocked mind trying to figure out what had just happened to it. She heard a huge booming laugh from behind her. She turned. She was flying high over the cliff born up on the winds with Aquilo's arms around her, holding her up from behind. They seemed to be straddling the air.

"Do you like Zeus's gift for me?" Aquilo asked.

"What!" Taenaia asked. Aquilo laughed and did something funny with his hands in front of them both. Suddenly Taenaia's stomach was left behind thousands of feet in the air as they dived straight down. At the last minute they levelled out and stopped about two meters over the ground. Aquilo swung one of his legs around the 'wind' they appeared to be sitting on and jumped to the ground. Then he swiftly lifted her up and set her on the grass by the stream beside the cliff face.

"Meet Equuissuperna!" Boomed Aquilo again. Taenaia turned. Standing behind then was a strange kind of horse. It was huge, a stormy blue color and seemed to be made from the wind. It snorted and tossed its head. Taenaia guessed it was a stallion from its temperament.

"Equiwhat!" Taenaia asked.

"Equuissuperna!" Aquilo said enthusiastically then sighed at her bemused expression. "Just call him Equi, he doesn't mind." Equi turned its head sharply and snapped its teeth at him. "That much." Aquilo corrected hastily. Equi continued to glare at him.

"Well Aquilo." Taenaia said indignantly. "In return for your little stunt with the wind and the horse thing," Equi turned to glare at her, "I mean Equi." She said hurriedly, "I will begin your lessons. I promised you I'd teach you something in return for your defence lessons." Taenaia finished smugly. Aquilo gulped.

"Equi, when I need you I'll call you alright?" Aquilo said to the horse. It looked smug and then pranced off where ever it felt like. "Right, what method of torture have you devised for me?" He asked resigned to his fate.

"Dancing lessons!" She said evilly.

000

It was the day of the equinox and Taenaia was walking happily through a distant part of the forest that always looked beautiful at that time of year. It was after her daily lesson from one of her mothers' friends or servants. The entire forest floor was covered in a beautiful thick carpet of snow drops. Taenaia picked her way through the blooms trying not to crush the tender green shoots and pure white heads. There was a large oak standing by itself in one place. So not to crush the flowers Taenaia gripped the branch over head and sprang up onto it. She jumped as she realised she was not alone. Malione smiled at her.

"_Have you thought on my offer Taenaia?" _She asked.

"I have." Taenaia smiled. "Aquilo wants to come too." She smiled wickedly. "I've been giving him dancing lessons." She sighed and sat still for a moment listening to the quiet twittering of the birds. Somewhere she thought she could hear the faint tinkle of her stream.

"It is so peaceful up here." She said.

"_The quercus always brings peace in its presence. There is nothing sadder than a quercus in pain." _Malione sighed too.

"What is a quercus?" Taenaia asked curiously.

"_It means oak tree in the mortal tongue."_

"Can trees feel pain?"

"_Oh yes. The Siviche feel it every time a tree is cut down. When a tree dies there is no pain, only a mild throb, but when a tree is cut down before its time it is like a stab in the heart. Luckily it is not too bad for us if it is far away. That is why even mortal babies don't see us as we avoid humans."_

"That's terrible." Taenaia said. "I would never cut down a tree. I had no idea."

"_Gods sometimes get stuck up and develop a certain disregard for life. I hope that never happens to you, my friend. But now, enough of these gloomy thoughts." _Maliones smile returned._ "What are you wearing for the festival?"_

"Oh." Taenaia bit her lip. "I never thought of that. I don't know." She frowned. "To Silviche wear clothes?" She said looking at Maliones apparent clothing.

"_Of course"_ Malione let out a rippling laugh. _"This is not part of me." _She said running a slender hand over her dress._ "We spin clothes from the bark of our birth trees. We have our own small measure of magic. We just take some of the excess bark off the tree and," _She paused with a sudden frown._ "We sort of 'call' it." _She finished lamely.

"_You have magic too." _She suddenly said brightly. _"Have you never tried to spin a dress out of ice or something?" _

"No." Taenaia frowned. "I don't know if I could do anything like that."

"_I need to make something special for tonight too. Why don't you watch me and see if you can do something similar with the mornings dew or something?" _

"Alright." Taenaia agreed cheerfully. "What is your birth tree?"

"_It is the pirus or pear tree. I will take you to my favourite." _Malione slipped down off the thick tree branchinto the snowdrops. Taenaia followed.

Malione flitted through the trees and Taenaia could see why hardly anyone knew of the Silviche; Malione was in her element, she blended in with the trees and seemed so at peace. Taenaia looked wistfully at her, she wish she could belong so well to someplace.

Malione went quiet a way, Taenaia did not think she had been to the place before. In the middle of a silent grove of oaks there stood a lone pear tree. The serenity of the place was profound. Taenaia hung back, reluctant to enter such a beautiful place, afraid she might break the spell that seemed to enchant the trees, whispering in and out the branches in a flood of absolute stillness. The birds sang softy and gently as if they too felt it, they probably did.

Malione quietly slipped into the grove. She stood for a moment with her eyes shut then motioned Taenaia forward.

"_This is an ancient grove. Ones such as these are rare, they are hardly ever found by mortals. I love this place. A Silviche born of the quercus is blessed indeed. Sadly they too are rare."_

Malione opened her eyes and smiled at Taenaia again. She had a lovely smile. _"Come." _Malione led her into the heart of the grove where the pirus stood. Malione stopped before it and gently rested both her palms against the smooth bark then touched it with her forehead once.

"_I always greet a birth tree such. I don't know why, it just feels right." _She spoke.

Malione then carefully pealed a tiny sliver of bark away from the trunk. She stood with the bark, each end held between the thumb and forefinger of each delicate hand with her eyes closed and her head tilted back slightly.

As Malione stood there in the peace of the grove the bark seemed to begin to lengthen, as if she was coaxing it to distend. She slid her right hand along it to join her left hand. The bark seemed to shimmer. Slowly it began to flow down to the ground, a stream of quicksilver caught in time. Elegantly the viscous ribbon pooled onto the ground. A large pool began to spread around Maliones feet until at last the flow stopped. It left behind the tiny, original strip of bark hanging from her fingertips. Malione stayed stock still.

Tentatively small wispy tendrils began to rise from the silver liquid glimmering around her feet. Gradually they grew and began to curl up around her body. The strands wove in and out of each other, clinging to her form. The pool grew smaller. Soon Malione was wrapped in the shifting, flowing substance. It then began to solidify. It formed a dress with a sweeping neck line that barely covered her right shoulder and left the other bare, the line curving down to a loose sleeve encircling her for arm. The hem lifted off the ground slightly and stopped. Slowly a single last tendril drifted into her hair, breaking away from the rest, and curled into a barely visible circlet in her hair in which tiny buds nested.

Malione's eyes snapped open. She smoothed a hand down the glimmering fabric and smiled. Gently she drew the dress of over her head and took out the circlet.

"_Quite something isn't it?" _Said Malione holding it up. _"My tree has truly chosen to gift me this time."_ Malione then turned to her with a smile. Taenaia suddenly remembered to breath.

"The tree makes the dress then?" Taenaia asked.

"_Yes, that is why I am uncertain as to how you would create some such clothing from your elements. I do not know what kind of spirit snow and ice might contain." _Malione said. _"Right, how are we going to do this? Shall we try with dew first? If you freeze some dew or something." _

Taenaia looked down at the ground. In the dappled shading of the grove several delicate drops of water hung suspended on branch tips and grass blades. She reached out to one on the branch by her and touched it with a pale finger. It froze into a drop of ice. Then she touched another one which became lanced with white, a bead of snow. Taenaia held both in the palm of her hand.

"_Now just think the words over in your head, 'ice and snow, for me grow, weave a dress for your birth child.'"_ Malione said. _"I just made that up but it ought to do. Idyllically you would not say any words even in your head but for your first try they should do. Next time, if this works, just try to bring back the sort of feeling of it." _

Taenaia nodded and closed her eyes.

_Ice and snow, for me grow, weave a dress for your birth child. _

It felt odd reciting the abstract line in her head.

_Ice and snow, for me grow, weave a dress for your birth child. _

On and on the words when in their chant.

_Ice and snow, for me… _

The words swam on in her head, and endless mantra that seemed to ripple and course around her mind in swells.

_Weave a dress for your birth child…_

As the words continued they seemed to take on a life of there own, rising and falling, rippling and jumping, in a complex pattern that in a subliminal way seemed to dance all through her.

_Ice and snow…_

The sounds thrummed and spun.

_For me grow…_

They twisted and turned.

_Weave a dress for your birth child…_

They shaped yet showed no form.

_Ice and snow…_

The serpent of rhythm swam and danced

_For me grow…_

It thrived in the music that seemed to pour forth from the twin specks of glowing white on the edge of her mind.

_Weave a dress for your birth child…_

The snaking thing stretched in almost agonistic ecstasy.

_Ice and s… **sso long**…for me grow." _

Taenaia hardly noticed the new words that hissed and echoed deep with in the mantra.

_Weave a …**child callss though another holdss full powerss**…for your birth ch…**that sshould not be**…ild._

The serpent hissed softly in annoyance.

_Ice an…**But child needss dressss**… snow, for me grow…_

The serpent almost seemed to smile.

_Weave a dress for your…**we approve and grant it**… birth child. _

The serpent dissolved in a violent flash of brilliant white and gold light. Tanaia collapsed into Maliones arms. Worried Malione studied Taenaias unmoving face. Then her eyes snapped open.

The same shimmering white and gold light then flickered where she had been standing. Slowly it faded leaving behind a milky silver-blue dress with tongues of gold almost red that hardly seemed real licking around it. It seemed to be emitting its own light as the icy creation hovered above the ground.

Hesitantly Taenaia reached out and touched it. It fell into her hand, the fabric cool and soft, barley perceptible to the touch.

"Wow."

Said Taenaia. Malione smiled at her.

"_What was your birth spirit like? Did it speak to you? What did it look like? Can you tell me?" _She asked, quietly excited.

"There was," Hesitantly Taenaia began to think about what had just happened to her. "There was a silver thing. A silver snake." Malione gasped. "It said, so long, child calls though another holds full powers, that should not be. Er, it said, child needs dress, we approve and grant it. Something like that anyway.

"_A serpent!" Malione's gaze swept her up and down. "The birth child of a serpent. I wonder if all gods birth spirits are so odd."_

"Why, what is yours?"

"_A squirrel. Beautiful creatures that plan ahead. A serpent is very strange by Silviche terms but all Silviche are tree born so I guess that could be the reason. Oh well. It granted you a gorgeous dress. You can stow it with mine, then we can go see this Aquilo and see if your dancing lessons have done any good."_ Taenaia smile.

"Yes, lets."

Taenaia then followed her friend. _My friend, my friend._ She thought. It was such an odd sensation to her. The ice queen was beginning to thaw.

000

AN. Is this chp borin? I hope not cos sum of it is important but well, any coments? Chuck in closest bin be4 r sick? 2 long, 2 short? 2 abstract? 2 fast? 2 confusing? TELL ME PLEZ SO I CN MAKE MY NXT CHP BETTR! R+R!


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